Ingredient file // Vitamin or mineral
Choline Bitartrate
Useful choline, with a specific stone caution
Choline bitartrate is a manufactured salt added to supply choline, which dogs need for normal liver and nerve function. A case series links its tartrate portion to a rare urinary stone, making stone history worth checking.
- What it is
- A powdered salt made from choline and tartaric acid, added to supply choline in food.
- Made from
- Manufactured choline and tartaric acid
- Main job
- Supply dietary choline
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- A history of calcium tartrate stones
- Not the same as
- Choline chloride
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 649 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
0%
4 of the 2,595 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 2 brands. 3 wet dog food, 1 freeze-dried dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 18. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 1 priced foods, 298% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
75%
of the foods that list it are from Orijen. 2 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
It is a synthetic chemical, not a food leftover. Makers react trimethylamine and ethylene oxide with tartaric acid, then sell the crystals to food, supplement and feed companies.5
- 01 // Source Starting chemicals Tartaric acid is stirred into water and trimethylamine is fed in, forming a trimethylamine tartrate salt.
- 02 // Process Ethylene oxide added Ethylene oxide is added at 30 to 70°C, turning that salt into dicholine tartrate.
- 03 // Process More tartaric acid A second dose of tartaric acid converts it to choline bitartrate, and the liquid is filtered.
- 04 // Output White crystals The filtrate is concentrated and cooled until white crystals form, which are centrifuged and dried.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
41.1
% choline
The choline share of the pure, dry salt by molecular weight. The rest is bitartrate, which matters for the stone caution.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Closes a nutrient gap
Dogs need choline in the finished diet. A measured addition lets formulators meet the nutrient target when the main ingredients supply too little.4,7
-
02
A stable choline salt
A manufacturer calls it a relatively stable salt, while choline chloride carries reactive chloride ions and needs purifying before feed use. That is a maker's view, not a comparison test.5
-
03
Offers bulk fortification
A bulk supplier calls this form more economical than other choline sources. That is a supplier claim, not a published comparison of pet food costs.8
-
04
Keeps the recipe measurable
The concentrated powder lets a maker adjust choline without changing the meat, eggs or other main ingredients that also contain it.7
How much AAFCO's dog food profiles specify at least 1,360 mg choline per kg of dry food, but no required amount of this particular salt.4
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Choline bitartrate supplies a nutrient dogs need
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
The pure salt is 41.1% choline by molecular weight, and AAFCO sets a choline minimum for dog food. Its nutrient job is clear; an ingredient list does not show how much was added.3,4,7
-
Owners say
Choline bitartrate causes bladder stones
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
In a retrospective dog case series, choline bitartrate was the identified tartrate source in 24 of 25 dogs with a known source and a calcium tartrate stone. Exposure doses were unknown, so the study cannot prove cause.1
-
Brands say
This form absorbs better than choline chloride
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A randomized crossover study in 6 men found no difference in blood choline exposure after equal choline doses from bitartrate and chloride. It did not test dogs, and it gives no basis for claiming a bitartrate advantage.2
-
Brands say
It improves a dog's memory
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Choline is used to make a nerve signaling chemical, but that does not demonstrate better memory. Placebo-controlled human experiments found no memory improvement after choline bitartrate; no dog memory trial was found.3
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoIt supplies choline, a nutrient listed in AAFCO's dog food profiles. Food makers add it to adjust the nutrient level, not to provide bulk or replace a main ingredient.4,7
-
Q02
Is bitartrate the same as chloride?
NoBoth supply choline, but their other components differ. Bitartrate supplies tartrate; chloride does not. That distinction matters most for a dog that has formed a calcium tartrate stone.1,5
-
Q03
Should I avoid it for stones?
For tartrate stonesIf your dog has formed a calcium tartrate stone, the case-series authors recommend removing tartrate sources from food and supplements. The study does not show a risk for an individual dog without that history.1
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Chicken 75%
- Kale 75%
- Bell Pepper 50%
- Pork 50%
- Carrots 50%
- Sweet Potatoes 50%
- Beef 50%
- Beef Bone 50%
- Chicken Liver 25%
- Chicken Heart 25%
- Duck 25%
- Chicken Bone Broth 25%
Our read // On the bag
Read it as choline, then check stone history
Near the nutrient supplements, choline bitartrate signals a measured addition. Judge the food by its nutritional adequacy statement and the main ingredients above it. If your dog has had a calcium tartrate stone, choose a food that supplies choline without tartrate.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Association of Diet and Calcium Tartrate Tetrahydrate Uroliths in Dogs
- 2 Differential metabolism of choline supplements in adult volunteers
- 3 No Acute Effects of Choline Bitartrate Food Supplements on Memory in Healthy, Young, Human Adults
- 4 AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles Based on Dry Matter
- 5 Choline bitartrate and preparation method therefor (WO2020078408A1)
- 6 Choline Bitartrate
- 7 Substances Added to Food: Choline Bitartrate
- 8 DL Choline Bitartrate Technical Data Sheet